- A prototype of the Surface Laptop Ultra, called EV1.5, has been reviewed for a month by a user at TechPowerUp.
- The device features an Nvidia RTX Spark chip and a 15-inch Mini LED screen, but suffers from problems with the graphics drivers.
- Performance is limited by high temperatures and frequent crashes, especially in games and AI workloads.
- The starting price is speculated to be $2.799 for the basic version, reaching over $4.499 in configurations with 128 GB of RAM.
It's been almost two months since Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop UltraIts bid to compete directly with Apple's MacBook Pro. Since then, the company has launched the Surface Laptop 8, a more affordable model, but official details of the flagship have been scarce. However, leaks have quickly surfaced, and now a detailed report on a prototype sheds light on what we can expect.
User Fouquin, on the TechPowerUp forums, shared his experience after spending approximately a month with a Surface Laptop Ultra prototype, identified as EV1.5. According to their impressions, the hardware is promising, but the accompanying software is far from polished. Below, we review the key points of this leak.
Dream hardware with a few drawbacks
The Surface Laptop Ultra features an Nvidia RTX Spark graphics chip, accompanied by a 15-inch Mini LED screenHowever, according to Fouquin, the screen has uneven local dimming and Nvidia G-Sync functionality is disabled by default. It's also mentioned that the keyboard is high quality, a detail that aligns with other leaks.
In terms of performance, the prototype manages to maintain a CPU power consumption of between 35 and 50 watts, while the GPU ranges between 95 and 105 watts. Temperatures reach between 98 and 100 degrees in the CPU and between 80 and 90 on the GPU, indicating that the cooling system is at its limit. Despite this, the hardware appears capable of delivering high raw performance, if the software allows it.
Software problems: outdated drivers and crashes
The prototype's main Achilles' heel is its graphics drivers. The device booted up with Windows-on-ARM drivers from November 2025, which caused... erratic GPU clock speedsStuttering and frequent crashes. Even the 616.00 preview drivers didn't fix the problems, and introduced a new screen crash bug after prolonged use.
These glitches particularly affected artificial intelligence tests. CUDA-based workloads failed to run correctly, forcing the use of slower methods such as CPU or Vulkan Compute. In games like Helldivers 2, the system would crash after a few minutes. The immaturity of software and AI This currently hinders the potential of this laptop.
All in all, the Surface Laptop Ultra is shaping up to be a device with a very powerful hardwareHowever, it will require significant driver updates and optimization to live up to expectations. Microsoft has yet to confirm a release date or official price, although leaks suggest a starting price of $2.799 for the version with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and over $4.499 for the 128GB models. We'll have to wait for the company to resolve these issues to see if it can truly compete with the MacBook Pro.